Claremont School Board, May 16, 2018

Regular meeting of the Claremont School Board, reconstructed from the attributed dialogue transcript of the CCTV recording; no agenda or minutes were available. Timestamps link to the same moment in the Cablecast recording.

Body
Claremont School Board (seven members); Chair Frank Sprague presiding
Date
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 (the chair reads the date as “May 16th, 2011”, a slip or transcription error)
Start time
Not stated in available records. Describing how meetings are warned in print, the chair says “the Claremont School Board will be meeting May 16th at 6 p.m.” (2:48:15). Called to order at 0:01:11 on the recording; adjourned on a voice vote at 3:10:27.
Location
Not stated in available records.
Recording
Cablecast: SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 5-16 (dialogue runs to 3:10:31 by the last CSV row; the Cablecast API refused requests from the build environment). Covers call to order through adjournment.
Minutes
None located. The district's public Drive shares hold nothing older than July 2022 (MAP.md, checked 9/26/26).
Attendance
Roll call by the clerk (0:02:02, 0:02:07): Benware, Horsky, Pierce, Towle and Sprague answer; Zullo speaks throughout; the chair says “Mike is going to be late.” Petrin has no identified speaking turn, so his arrival is not established.

Participants

Participants as heard on the recording. Names follow the dialogue file's attribution and the project roster; no minutes were available to confirm spellings or attendance.
Name Role Participation
Frank Sprague Chair Presided; introduced the school-funding presentation as a board goal (0:28:42); proposed another retreat (1:19:10).
Rebecca Zullo Vice Chair Led the review of the April 22 retreat notes (2:22:47); asked the attorneys about plaintiffs and grassroots action (1:08:58).
Jason Benware Member (“Jason Bentley”, “Mr. Ben were”) Asked for the cell phone discussion and read the high school rule aloud (1:43:32, 1:46:47); asked about a flat statewide rate (1:03:43).
Carolyn Towle Member (“Carolyn tall”) Reported a funding subcommittee formed at the retreat (1:10:52); proposed that members bring finance questions to meetings (1:32:39).
Michelle Pierce Member Questioned cell phone fairness for students without phones (2:05:17, 2:05:26); asked that agendas reach online families (2:49:18). Attributed partly by elimination (the only remaining female member).
Steven Horsky Member Asked the time of the adult education graduation (0:15:24); apparently moved adjournment (3:10:18). The dialogue file assigns him one row.
Michael Petrin Member (“Michael. Patron”) Called in the roll; reported as arriving late (0:02:04). No identified turn.
Middleton McGoodwin Superintendent, SAU 6 Superintendent's report (0:07:27); civility and school climate (1:35:09); presented the resignations and the Class of 1968 gift (3:04:57, 3:06:15).
Cory LeClair Assistant Superintendent, SAU 6 Explained how notices are printed (2:48:51); reported on the community-engagement grant (2:52:49) and kindergarten registration (3:07:09).
Michael O'Neill Business Administrator, SAU 6 Reviewed investment policy DFA (1:28:49) and the FY18 expenditure report (1:30:39); read policy DBJ (2:32:22).
Patricia Barry Principal, Stevens High School Spoke at citizens' comments about the student representative's regional honor (0:23:42); addressed the cell phone discussion (1:59:07).
Mary Woodman School district clerk Called the roll (0:02:02).
Lexi Grenier Student representative (spelling unverified) Gave the student report (0:04:50); corrected an agenda title (0:03:39).
Karen Collison National Honor Society advisor, Stevens (transcribed “Karen Carlson”, “Mrs. Coulson”; spelling unverified) Presented the entryway landscaping plan and the Shantytown overnight (0:17:10, 0:19:12).
Tom Connor Claremont attorney Reviewed the Claremont school-funding litigation (0:29:59).
John Tobin Attorney, retired from New Hampshire Legal Assistance Described what a new funding lawsuit would require (0:41:25).
“Mr. Cloutier” Audience member Acknowledged by Towle as present (1:10:52). A Representative Cloutier is named on the April 24 joint-meeting page; identity not confirmed here.
Unidentified Members making motions and seconds Several motions and seconds (for example 0:18:43, 3:05:43, 3:06:43) sit in fragment clusters and cannot be attributed.

Order of business

No agenda was available. The chair and superintendent refer to its numbered items (“Roman numeral seven, A and B”), so this list follows their transitions and the agenda letters they read.

Order of business from the chair's transitions
Taken up Item What happened
0:01:11 Call to order; Pledge; roll call Roll by the clerk (0:02:02).
0:02:15 Agenda Amended to take the National Honor Society items (VII A and B) when the advisor arrives and, at the superintendent's request, “there are some donations that are going to be discussed tonight. So I would like to be able to add those to the agenda as well under action items”. Approved by voice vote (0:03:57).
0:03:57 Minutes Minutes of “me. Second 2018” [May 2, 2018] approved by voice vote (0:04:19).
0:04:20 Student representative's report Events, graduation June 7, sports.
0:07:25 Superintendent's report Middle school principal search, county broadband partnership, hospital artwork, adult education graduation June 4.
0:16:32 Discussion VII A and B (taken early): NHS landscaping; Shantytown Landscaping plan, about $2,000 (0:17:56): motion and second (0:18:43), approved (0:19:07). Shantytown overnight approved (0:23:18).
0:23:26 Citizens' comments Principal Barry spoke; no others.
0:29:31 School funding presentation: attorneys Connor and Tobin Presentation and questions; no action.
1:27:09 School funding discussion, June 13, Pittsfield Superintendent will attend; carpool offered.
1:28:24 Review of investment policy DFA Reviewed; no motion.
1:30:23 Review of FY18 expenditures and revenue Continued from May 2; no action.
1:35:01 School climate and civility Superintendent's overview; no action.
1:43:05 Cell phones (policy codes transcribed “e.g. a in e.g. a R”) Discussion; the chair moves to “Table this for now.” (2:18:28); referred toward the policy subcommittee (2:33:20).
2:22:15 Review of the April 22 retreat Notes and minutes in the packet (2:22:37); goals and action steps reviewed; agendas to be e-mailed to families (2:50:11).
2:52:20 Community engagement vision Grant update; information only.
3:04:46 Action items District assets (laptops) (3:04:57); resignations of Paulette Fitzgerald and Nancy Morrow accepted with regret (3:06:01); Class of 1968 donation of $15,000 accepted (3:07:05).
3:10:18 Adjournment Motion apparently by Horsky, seconded; voice vote (3:10:27).

Discussion timeline

Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/9790 SchoolBoard051618.mp4.CSV) and link into the recording. Quotations are the transcript's words; bracketed text is an editorial insertion.

Discussion timeline
Time Topic What was said Flags
0:01:11 Opening Call to order and roll; the chair: “Mike is going to be late. I just remember he told me that.” MEDIUM
0:03:06 Donations added to the agenda Superintendent asks to add donations under action items the same night (0:03:06); agenda approved as amended. HIGH
0:04:50 Student report Blood drive May 22; pops concert; senior breakfast June 6; graduation June 7 at 6:00 in the gymnasium; spring sports records.
0:07:27 Superintendent's report Middle school principal nominee expected the first meeting in June; Sullivan County thanks the district for broadband help (0:08:22); Keene's board is interested in the funding effort (0:12:31).
0:17:10 NHS landscaping Collison presents a landscaping plan for the entrance, about $2,000 (0:17:56); approved (0:19:07).
0:19:12 Shantytown NHS students camp overnight on the soccer field and serve at the soup kitchen to raise awareness of poverty; national dues “which are about $400”. Approved (0:23:18).
0:23:26 Citizens' comments Principal Barry describes nominating the student representative for a regional women's luncheon honor (0:23:42). No other speakers (0:28:42).
0:28:42 Funding as a board goal Sprague: one goal is “to begin as fast as we could, some action toward Claremont three or whatever is necessary to try to address school funding”.
0:30:50 Connor: the litigation “29 years ago, two months ago, March 1989, it was this body” that started the case; he reads the 1997 decision: “we hold that the present system of financing public education in New Hampshire is unconstitutional”.
0:37:09 Part II, Article 83 Connor reads the constitutional duty “to cherish the interest of literature and public schools”.
0:41:25 Tobin: a new case “the average cost of providing an education to a kid in New Hampshire is 15,000, that the state says, oh, only really costs 3600”. “This is a long game.” He needs a team, experts on school budgets and the right plaintiffs (0:51:24, 0:52:58).
0:54:18 Resources Last time “none of the lawyers got paid”; he may later ask school boards for money (0:56:04).
1:01:13 Questions: a flat rate Benware: a statewide rate? Tobin: whatever tax the legislature picks must be at the same rate statewide (1:03:59, 1:07:36).
1:08:58 Plaintiffs; grassroots Zullo asks how to help find plaintiffs and whether a citizens' warrant article could press the state (1:10:02); Tobin points to the Fiscal Policy Institute (1:12:15).
1:10:52 Funding subcommittee Towle: “We have just developed part of our goal session retreat. A subcommittee, for this effort”. MEDIUM
1:19:10 Next steps Sprague proposes another retreat for “a plan of attack” and to invite candidates for state representative (1:19:40).
1:20:53 Public information Chair: viewers can “watch the tape on channel eight or channel ten”. A one-line message: “education is a fundamental right. Funding education is a state responsibility.”
1:25:48 Three parts of the formula Tobin: statewide property tax, the adequacy grant, and stabilization aid, which since 2015 the state cuts “4% a year”.
1:28:39 Investment policy DFA O'Neill reviews the policy, saying “we have severely lax in doing that for the school board”; he describes it as a financial-statement disclosure that needs no board action (1:29:08). Funds sit at Claremont Savings (1:29:47). No motion. MEDIUM
1:30:39 FY18 expenditures Administrative salaries are in the report by school, not by person (1:30:39); Towle asks members to bring questions to meetings (1:32:39); Sprague says asking them in public also educates the public (1:34:43). POSITIVE
1:35:09 Civility Superintendent, finishing his seventh year, wants community discussion of civility and a shared protocol (1:37:55); work with Healthy Vibrant Claremont and NH Listens (1:40:48, 1:41:57).
1:43:32 Cell phones Benware cites a 1975 attention study and seniors' views (1:44:43, 1:46:17); reads the high school rule (1:46:47). Superintendent: the handbook rules “will be detailed in the school board approved student parent handbooks annually”.
1:59:07 Principal Barry Barry: parents must be part of it; “some of our students are addicted to these devices and it is not healthy”; inconsistency comes from teachers' differing tolerance (2:04:28).
2:05:17 Fairness Pierce: not all students have phones; Barry estimates about 10% of students lack online access, as a guess (2:15:43). Handbooks are online only (2:09:51).
2:18:28 Tabled Chair tables the discussion (2:18:28); LeClair describes Common Sense Media lessons (2:18:44).
2:22:15 Retreat review Superintendent: “the minutes are included” for the April 22 retreat, which he did not attend (2:27:37). Prepare a budget: the administration drafts, the board may cut or redirect (2:26:20). MEDIUM
2:28:08 Citizens' comment policy Three-minute limit to be written into the public-participation policy by the policy subcommittee (2:29:13).
2:29:20 Annual report Hard copies at the SAU; were not at all polling places (2:29:50); superintendent will e-mail it (2:31:18).
2:31:58 Budget transfers Retreat decision: “we would like to set a limit of 5000 for school board to be notified of budget line transfers”. O'Neill reads policy DBJ: “the superintendent is authorized to transfer funds between items when necessary to achieve board policy goals”; the policy must change (2:32:42). OBSERVATION
2:33:20 Policy subcommittee Pierce asks that the cell phone policy go to the subcommittee; Zullo says it will sort the superintendent's list of policies the next day (2:33:29). MEDIUM
2:33:43 Time limits Presentations 15 minutes; “we have given ourselves a time limit of ten minutes to shoot for where we could ask questions”.
2:35:59 Meeting location Possible move of meetings to the high school, on hold.
2:37:01 Expense reports Quarterly at minimum: LeClair, “the board said quarterly to start, was to ensure that it happened quarterly”; O'Neill offers monthly. POSITIVE
2:39:12 What was cut Sprague asks what the final budget cut, after rumors about counselors and English teachers; O'Neill has an updated list (2:39:42).
2:40:38 Board goals Fiscal responsibility, communication, climate and culture; “Establish a budget advisory committee comprised of school board members, administration and community members”.
2:42:54 Crisis committee Pierce asks about the “crisis committee development”; Benware: “We had we had developed one in that meeting. There was, it was you and I and Caroline.” MEDIUM
2:47:09 Communication goal “We will post detailed school board agendas in print publication and on the website.” LeClair: printed notices now say only that a meeting will be held (2:48:51). POSITIVE
2:49:18 Agendas to families Superintendent: “I could email the agenda to 2300 people. Absolutely.” No objection (2:50:11). POSITIVE
2:50:20 Climate goal Exit surveys resumed after a two-year lapse (2:50:55); annual staff climate surveys planned.
2:52:20 Community engagement LeClair: “almost two years into a three year grant with an educational foundation around, community engagement”; the candidates' forum transcript informed board goals (2:56:13).
3:04:57 Resignations Paulette Fitzgerald (to a Concord middle school principalship) and Nancy Morrow; accepted “with regret” (3:06:01).
3:06:15 Class of 1968 gift “a total of $15,000. They would like to donate $10,000 to the music program. And they would like to donate $5,000 to landscaping in the front of Stevens High School.” Motion and second (3:06:43, 3:06:48); voice vote (3:07:05). No hearing is mentioned. HIGH
3:07:09 Kindergarten registration LeClair: registrations “Maybe a third of what we have in our current class”.
3:08:46 Board social media page To be set up under district authority with a board-appointed designee, “for informational purposes only, no dialog”.
3:10:18 Adjournment Motion and second; Towle teases the mover that it is the first time he has spoken. Voice vote (3:10:27).

Items flagged for review

These flags are a reviewer's aid, not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each rests on the rule it cites, read as it stood on the meeting date; where no rule is confirmed the item is an Observation.

HIGH A $15,000 private gift was added to the agenda and accepted the same night, with no public hearing on the record

At the start of the meeting the superintendent asked to add donations to the agenda (0:03:06). Near the end he presented the Class of 1968's gift: “a total of $15,000. They would like to donate $10,000 to the music program. And they would like to donate $5,000 to landscaping in the front of Stevens High School.” The board accepted it on a motion and second by voice vote (3:06:43 to 3:07:05). No one mentions a public hearing.

RSA 198:20-b, in the 2017 codification in force in 2018, lets a board accept unanticipated money from a private source only where the district has adopted the enabling article (¶I), and ¶III(a) provides: For unanticipated funds in the amount of $5,000 or more, the school board shall hold a prior public hearing on the action to be taken, with newspaper notice of the time, place and subject at least 7 days before. Both parts of this gift reach $5,000. A gift first placed on the agenda that evening could not have had a hearing noticed seven days in advance.

What would mitigate it: a hearing held and noticed separately, or acceptance under some authority other than RSA 198:20-b. Neither appears in the record, and no minutes survive to show either. The $2,000 landscaping item was a plan approval for a student group, not a gift, and is not flagged.

Sources: RSA 198:20-b, I and III(a) (2017 codification; prior public hearing at $5,000 or more)

MEDIUM Investment policy reviewed without the annual adoption vote the statute requires

The business administrator walked the board through policy DFA, saying “we have severely lax in doing that for the school board” and describing the review as a financial-statement disclosure item that needs no action (1:29:08). No motion followed.

RSA 197:23-a, IV (2017 codification): At least yearly, the school board shall review and adopt an investment policy for the investment of public funds in conformance with the provisions of applicable statutes. Review alone does not meet the duty to adopt. MEDIUM, not HIGH: the board could still adopt the policy at a later 2018 meeting, and no minutes are available to show whether it did.

Sources: RSA 197:23-a, IV (2017 codification; annual review and adoption of the investment policy)

MEDIUM No agenda or minutes for this meeting, and the April 22 retreat's minutes are not public either

An agenda and packet existed (the superintendent cites agenda item numbers at 0:02:29 and packet documents throughout), and the board approved its May 2 minutes at 0:04:19. The April 22 retreat, a meeting of the board that set its goals, also had minutes: “the minutes are included” in tonight's packet (2:22:37). None of these documents is in the district's public shares, which do not reach back before July 2022. Without the minutes the attendance (Petrin was expected late and never identified) and the movers of several motions cannot be confirmed.

RSA 91-A:2, II (2017 codification) requires minutes open to public inspection within 5 business days. Severity limb: MEDIUM, because the record shows the board was producing minutes; what is missing is a public copy.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2017 codification; minutes within 5 business days)

MEDIUM Board subcommittees working between meetings, with no notice or minutes in the record

Zullo said the policy subcommittee would meet the next day to sort the superintendent's list of policies (2:33:29); this is the three-member subcommittee whose meeting dates were set on May 2 (May 2, 2018 page). Towle reported a subcommittee formed at the retreat “for this effort” on school funding (1:10:52), and when Pierce asked about the “crisis committee development”, Benware said one had been formed at the retreat: “it was you and I and Caroline” (2:43:10). Whether these are one body or two is not clear.

Under RSA 91-A:1-a, VI(d) a board's committee, subcommittee, or subordinate body is a public body, so each subcommittee meeting needs posted notice and minutes under RSA 91-A:2, II. An announcement at a board meeting is not posted notice. MEDIUM: whether notices were posted and minutes kept cannot be checked from here.

Sources: RSA 91-A:1-a, VI(d) (subcommittees are public bodies); RSA 91-A:2, II (2017 codification; notice and minutes)

OBSERVATION Policy DBJ, as read, lets the superintendent move money between line items

The business administrator read policy DBJ: “the superintendent is authorized to transfer funds between items when necessary to achieve board policy goals”, with exceptions for the unemployment line and special warrant articles (2:32:42). The board's retreat decision to be notified of transfers of $5,000 or more (2:31:58) would require a policy change.

RSA 32:10, I (text in force from August 15, 2017) gives the transfer power to the governing body, limits total spending to the total appropriated, and requires records showing the purposes transferred to and from; ¶II defines a purpose to include line items. Whether a school board may delegate that power to its superintendent is not settled by the text; the notification threshold is a step toward board oversight.

Sources: RSA 32:10, I-II (2019 codification; source note ends 2017, 127:4, eff. Aug. 15, 2017)

POSITIVE Retreat commitments that go beyond what the Right-to-Know law requires

The board agreed to e-mail each agenda to about 2,300 families (2:49:48, 2:50:11), to publish detailed agendas in print rather than a bare notice that a meeting will be held (2:47:09, 2:48:51), to receive expense reports at least quarterly in public session (2:37:39, 2:38:24), and to raise members' finance questions at meetings so the public hears the answers (1:32:39, 1:34:43). RSA 91-A:2, II requires only posted notice of a meeting's time and place 24 hours ahead and minutes within five business days.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2017 codification; notice and minutes)

Appendix: source files

Official and public sources

Project files

Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.

Laws and rules cited on this page